Generally, the invention relates to vacuum cleaners. Particularly, the invention relates to a dirt collection system for a vacuum cleaner.
Upright vacuum cleaners are well known in the art. Typically, these upright vacuum cleaners include a vacuum cleaner housing pivotally mounted to a vacuum cleaner foot. The foot is formed with a nozzle opening and may include an agitator mounted therein for loosening dirt and debris from a floor surface. A motor may be mounted to either the foot or the housing for producing suction at the nozzle opening. The suction at the nozzle opening picks up the loosened dirt and debris and produces a stream of dirt-laden air which is ducted to the vacuum cleaner housing.
In conventional vacuum cleaners, the dirt laden air is ducted into a vacuum cleaner filter bag supported on or within the vacuum cleaner housing. However, bagless vacuum cleaners have recently become prevalent in the marketplace. These bagless vacuum cleaners duct the stream of dirt-laden air into a dirt cup having a dirt collecting system which filters the dirt particles from the air stream before exhausting the filtered air stream into the atmosphere. Various dirt collecting systems have been used on these bagless vacuum cleaners to separate the dirt particles from the air stream. The bagless cleaners generally use a receptacle such as a dirt cup for collecting dirt and debris for later disposal.
One such dirt cup for a vacuum cleaner was disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/519,106 owned by a common assignee which is incorporated by reference fully herein. However, the need still exists to routinely empty the dirt cup. The present invention provides an improvement to aid the emptying of debris from a dirt for a dirt collecting system such as the one disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/519,106 owned by a common assignee.
Objectives of the invention include providing a new and improved dirt collecting system for use in a bagless vacuum cleaner.
A further objective is to provide a new and improved dirt collecting system which provides dirt cup having a pivoting lid.
A still further objective is to provide a dirt cup with a handle for grasping the dirt cup for the purpose of handling the dirt cup.
A still yet further objective is to provide a dirt cup having a lid with a thumb tab for opening the lid.
These and other objectives will be readily apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In carrying out the invention in one aspect thereof, these objectives and advantages are obtained by providing a dirt collecting system for a vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner comprised of a nozzle opening which may include an agitator mounted therein for loosening dirt and debris from a floor surface. A motor-fan assembly may be mounted to either the foot or the housing for producing suction at the nozzle opening. The suction at the nozzle opening picks up the loosened dirt and debris and produces a stream of dirt-laden air which is ducted to the vacuum cleaner housing.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the dirt collecting system includes a dirt cup removably inserted into the vacuum cleaner housing. The dirt cup is comprised of a dirt collecting chamber, a lid pivotally connected to the dirt cup and having a thumb tab for opening the lid, and a handle on the front of the dirt cup for handling the dirt cup. The dirt cup is emptied by removing the dirt cup from the vacuum cleaner housing. The handle on the front of the dirt cup is provided for this purpose. While still grasping the handle, the dirt cup is emptied of debris by pressing on the thumb tab and inverting the dirt cup over a debris collection receptacle. The debris in the dirt cup will fall from the dirt cup into the debris collection receptacle. After emptying the dirt cup is returned upright, the thumb tab is released and the dirt cup is re-inserted into the vacuum cleaner housing.